Department for Education

Teachers: Pay

Lord Addington: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are able to make a pay award to teachers in maintained schools outside the review conducted by the Schools Teachers’ Review Body.

Baroness Barran: A pay award to teachers in maintained schools outside a review conducted by the School Teachers Review Body (STRB) is possible via an order under section 122 of the Education Act 2022, giving effect to a modified School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD).

Cabinet Office

Life Peers: Public Appointments

Lord Pendry: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the House of Lords Appointments Commission regarding reports that peers have been appointed after donating money to the Conservative party.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Advice provided by the House of Lords Appointments Commission to the Government is confidential. It would be inappropriate to comment on such reports, or speculate about individual nominations or vetting. Peerages reflect long-standing contributions to civic life and also a willingness to further contribute to public life as a legislator in the Second Chamber. Volunteering and supporting a political party is part of our civic democracy.

Department for International Trade

EU Trade: South America

The Earl of Dundee: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposed EU–Mercosur Association Agreement; and what plans they have to apply to join the Agreement.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: The UK has no plans to join the EU’s Association Agreement with Mercosur as our approach is to negotiate our own trade agreements using our freedom outside of the EU. We are monitoring the progress of EU-Mercosur talks. They reached agreement in principle on a deal in 2019 but the agreement is not yet ratified. The Mercosur countries are important markets for the UK and we are committed to strengthening our trading relationship. A recent demonstration of that commitment was the signing of a Double Taxation Agreement with Brazil in November. When ratified, the agreement will dramatically reduce tax uncertainty in cross-border trade.

Overseas Trade

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the most recentUK trade figures published by the ONS on 12 October; and in particular, the decrease in imports and exports with non-EU countries.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: The latest UK trade figures were published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 22 December 2022. These show that:1) UK exports (goods and services) in the 12 months to end of September 2022 were £777.6bn, an increase of 24.1% in current prices compared to the previous 12 months, and up 11.9% once adjusted for inflation. Of this, UK exports to non-EU countries were £447.4bn, up 23.5% in current prices.2) Over the same time period, UK imports were £859.6bn, an increase of 29.4% in current prices and up 11.2% once adjusted for inflation. Of this, UK imports from non-EU countries were £456.4bn, up 31.3% in current prices.

Overseas Trade: Brazil

The Earl of Dundee: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) prospects of, and (2) benefits from, the proposed UK–Brazil Expanded Trade Partnership.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: The UK is committed to enhancing our bilateral trading partnership with Brazil, an important partner for the UK with whom we traded £6.5bn in the 12 months ending June 2022[1]. For example, the signing of the UK-Brazil Double Taxation Agreement in November 2022 represents a significant step in enhancing our trading relationship across all sectors. When ratified, it will dramatically reduce tax uncertainty in cross-border trade. We will work with the new administration to agree the best way to progress our relationship, including in areas of shared interest like Digital trade.  [1] GOV.UK. (2022) Trade and Investment Factsheets: Brazil. Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/trade-and-investment-factsheets-partner-names-beginning-with-a-or-b(Accessed: 23 December 2022).

Overseas Investment: South America

The Earl of Dundee: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to offer incentives to UK business and industry to pursue new opportunities in the economy of South America, including clean growth and infrastructure.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: My department is working tirelessly to ensure that the demand for UK expertise in South America’s clean energy transition and infrastructure development is capitalised on. Recently, the Government supported the development of regulatory frameworks for offshore wind projects in Brazil and Colombia; signed three government-to-government public infrastructure contracts worth £2.5 billion in Peru; and, through UK Export Finance, supported hospital construction and aerospace projects in Brazil and Guyana. UK businesses working on these projects and more enjoy preferential access under the UK-Andean Countries Free Trade Agreement and UK-Chile Association Agreement, which also benefit those pursuing new opportunities.